Fibromyalgia education resources
Information for patients from the Therapies Department
You have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and referred to the hospital’s Therapies Department. This leaflet explains our first stage of treatment for fibromyalgia patient education. If after reading this leaflet you have any questions, please contact the Rheumatology Therapies Admin team.
Rheumatology Therapies Admin team
Telephone: 01227 783065
Email
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition, with a combination of symptoms. Pain in many areas of the body at once is often the main symptom, alongside the following.
Poor sleep
Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
Low mood (feeling low / sad)
‘Brain fog’ (finding it hard to concentrate)
Irritable bowel (stomach pain and irregular bowel movements)
What causes fibromyalgia?
The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. We do know that there may be a link with a history of arthritis, illness, or big life events.
What treatment can the Therapies Department offer me?
Fibromyalgia is best treated with a step by step approach.
Treatment for fibromyalgia starts with you learning more about fibromyalgia. You need to understand your condition, before we can work together to create a plan for your care. This may include:
providing education and advice on the areas that are most important to you
prescribing medication
making a referral to other services, including Occupational Therapy or the Pain Clinic
What happens once the Therapies Department have reviewed my referral?
After Therapies have reviewed your referral, the Rheumatology Therapies Admin team will contact you by telephone.
How do I access the fibromyalgia education videos?
After the above phone call, the Admin team will email you a web link. This link is to a series of fibromyalgia education videos and helpful resources for you to watch. You can view the videos in your own time from home, at a time that is suitable for you.
You can only access these videos using the web link. You cannot find them by searching the Trust’s web site, so keep your email safe.
If you have difficulties accessing the online education, please tell the Admin team. If you do not have access to the internet, we can send you the presentation slides and resources in the post.
If you are visually impaired (have problems with your eyesight), the videos have captions and / or can be listened to.
When you click on the link, the East Kent Hospitals web site will open up as shown below.
You need to click on the play button to view each presentation.
There are resources next to the presentation that you can click on and explore.
You can watch them in any order, and as many times as you want.
What do the videos include?
The videos cover the following topics.
What is fibromyalgia?
Pain, understanding the pain you are feeling.
Fatigue (extreme tiredness), the symptoms of fatigue, and how you can manage it.
Medication and whether it can help you manage your condition.
Sleep and why it is important.
Nutrition and how eating the right food may help your symptoms.
Mental health and taking time for yourself. Noticing what things are affecting your condition.
Welfare benefits and financial help.
Activity, exercise and physiotherapy, and how this may help with your symptoms.
What happens after I have watched the videos?
Approximately eight weeks after the Admin team send you the web link, you will have a telephone appointment with a clinician. The clinician will be a physiotherapist or occupational therapist trained in the management of fibromyalgia. To get the most from this appointment, please watch each of the videos before the appointment.
At this appointment you can talk to the clinician about:
what is most important to you; and
what you feel you may need help and support with. Some people do not feel they need any further support. For those that do, the clinician can look at the treatment options available that may help you.
Depending on your individual needs, we can:
arrange further telephone or face to face appointments
make treatment recommendations to your GP
refer you to other services, including Occupational Therapy or the Pain Clinic
You will discuss all your options with the clinician during this appointment.
Remember you can withdraw your consent for treatment at any time.
What will happen if I choose not to have treatment?
If you do not wish to have treatment now, we will discharge you back to your GP. If you change your mind, your GP can refer you back to the hospital for treatment.
Contact details
If you have any questions about the videos, please contact the Rheumatology Therapies Admin team.
Rheumatology Therapies Admin team
Telephone: 01227 783065
Email
Useful links
[Web sites last accessed 25 September 2026]
Ask 3 Questions
There may be choices to make about your healthcare. Before making any decisions, make sure you get the answers to these three questions:
What are my choices?
What is good and bad about each choice?
How do I get support to help me make a decision that is right for me?
Your healthcare team needs you to tell them what is important to you. It’s all about shared decision making.
What do you think of this leaflet?
We welcome feedback, whether positive or negative, as it helps us to improve our care and services.
If you would like to give us feedback about this leaflet, please fill in our short online survey. Either scan the QR code below, or use the web link. We do not record your personal information, unless you provide contact details and would like to talk to us some more.
If you would rather talk to someone instead of filling in a survey, please call the Patient Voice Team.
Patient Voice Team
Telephone: 01227 868605
Email